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According to MPs more Councils and Developers should build bungalows because of their “endearing popularity among older people”. There is a current shortfall of accessible and specialist homes which limits the housing options for older people.

An idea rejected is the reduction of stamp duty for older people moving but MPs said a national strategy is needed because the number of people over 85 will double in just 25 years. Surveys show that high numbers of older people would move to bungalows if they were available. A key problem in many places is that the price of land is so high it is impossible to make bungalows financially viable.

MPs also stated that new homes should be “age proofed” so older people can remain at home, all research shows people want to stay at home for as long as is practical. It was also felt that the reason older people do not move to more suitable property is not just financial but also for emotional and practical reasons. The National Pensioners’ Convention said it was unfair to blame older people for not moving which has recently been blamed for the lack of homes for families.

Independent Living Owner (Mark Booker) commented “we have provided care for people in their own home for 6 years now and all the feedback suggests that is where older people want to stay. A care home is seen as a last resort when people can no longer cope alone. More bungalows would be useful because older people have mobility issues and having a bathroom etc on the ground floor is a much better option. We also note that when people get to a certain age they do not want the upheaval of moving even if their own home is no longer ideal.”

It is great to see that the government are focussing on the needs of older people. A report suggests 1.3 million older people are starving through loneliness and MPs are demanding more support for lunch clubs. It is believed that isolation is causing malnutrition and food schemes such as lunch clubs and meals on wheels will help break this cycle. Because loneliness is not an immediate social care issue people fall below the radar but people are now arriving at hospital just 5 and a half stone in weight.

The Prime Minister described loneliness as a “sad reality of modern life” and appointed Tracey Crouch as the first Minister for Loneliness to deal with isolation. Generally pensioner poverty has fallen and malnourishment is often down to isolation rather than a lack of money. This has a knock on effect to the NHS as people eventually require hospital treatment and this costs £12 billion a year. Only 29,000 people receive meals on wheels down from 155,000 a decade ago.

The Registered Manager for Independent Living (Amanda Singleton) commented “given modern life many families are busy or may even live in another country. Many older people spend the day alone and for some this creates isolation and loneliness. Some older people are reasonably wealthy but if they don’t have family nearby and their network of friends is getting smaller they can find themselves alone if they no longer drive or are too ill to go out. This can be made worse when a long term partner dies. Lunch clubs, meals on wheels, home care and voluntary/community networks can all help to ensure that older people do have social contact and maintain their spirits.”

Well known DJ David “Kid” Jensen has made public his battle with Parkinsons. He has had the disease for the last 5 years but has been afraid to speak out fearing that “people will think less of him”. But the 67 year old has decided to make an official statement because he wants to demonstrate to other people that it is possible to continue with many aspects of your life. He stated how when he has a tremor he became self conscious and worried that everyone noticed.”

David now aged 67 went on to state “I want to show it is not a death sentence , it is something that you can live with and that their are far worse things that can happen to you than Parkinsons” David has now decided to speak out having seen Billy Connolly and Skysports presenter Dave Clarke speak out and raise funds for Parkinsons charities. Parkinsons is a neurological condition that causes problems in the brain and over time gets worse with no cure yet discovered.

Independent Living owner Mark Booker commented “we hear so much about dementia which is quite right given the number of cases but perhaps we do not hear so much about Parkinsons which also affects so many people. We provide a large amount of care for people with Parkinsons and we have developed a specialism in it. Many people choose to keep it private until it becomes obvious, it seems that people with the disease think that if they reveal their situation people will make false assumptions about their ability to make decisions and carry out everyday tasks”.

Carey Mulligan nominated for an Oscar for her performance in “An Education” and the star of “Suffragette”, “The Great Gatsby” and “Far From the Madding Crowd” has highlighted the plight of dementia suffers after her grandma lived with the disease for 16 years. During the time she had the disease she became more socially isolated and marginalised.

She feels that because dementia is often automatically linked with old age there hasn’t been the same level of investment, interest and effort into researching the disease and finding a cure when compared with cancer or diabetes that affects wider age groups. It seems we just accept that in old age people will get dementia but this is not a reason for not trying to find a cure.
The actress promotes the work of the Alzheimers Society with its “Dementia Friends” programme which provides talks aiming to raise awareness in the community of memory loss issues. The aim is to remove the stigma and understand that a person’s behaviour could be the result of the disease.

Mark Booker (Independent Living, Owner) commented “we work with a lot of people with dementia. Many people have milder forms of memory loss but can still lead an active life, for example going shopping or to the garden centre. As a society we need to become more patient, tolerant, and understanding of older people who have a right to access services.”

A recent report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) highlighted that 78% of home care services were rated as “GOOD”. Leadership and person centred care were often the factors that made a difference. Social care is a big contributor to the economy employing 1.45 million people and adding £42 billion. This can only increase in importance as the people aged over 85 will double over the next 2 decades. In 2016 1.2 million adults had unmet care needs A key problem is staff vacancy rates which have gone from 6.6% to 10.4%, and staff turnover is rising (now at 28%). 43 Councils reported home care agencies giving contracts back.

The report suggests that “Leadership” is vital to a good service. Managers should be visible and known to staff, customers and their families. Good managers truly value their staff and support their development . The second aspect is “person centred care” which means care plans are tailored to a client’s needs which includes a person’s likes and dislikes.

Registered Care Manger for Independent Living (Amanda Singleton) commented “the care sector is vital and growing but at present it remains unresolved as to how it should be funded at a rate which will meet everyone’s needs and quality standards. In order to tackle staff vacancy and turnover the wages need to rise to make it a more attractive employment choice but this can only be done if hourly rates for care are realistic. We also recognise the value of Leadership and Person Centred care which was recognised by our CQC inspector when we were rated “GOOD. The owner and management team are well known and approachable to our carers, customers and their families”.

In recent weeks the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has produced its annual report into the state of care over the last 12 months. It stated that the number of people requiring care is rising rapidly. This is largely due to an ever ageing population, for example people aged over 65 will increase by 20% (2014 -2024). We are all living longer but as a consequence of this we are livng more years with poor health. The result is more pressure on ambulance call outs, higher occupancy of hospital beds, people waiting longer to leave hospital due to a lack of community care, and relatives providing ever increasing amounts of unpaid care.

Against this rapid increase is a mixed picture on the ability to provide care. In terms of home care it varies across the country but many providers are struggling to recruit, in some areas agencies are handing back council contracts due to low pay rates, they have found the living wage has rapidly raised the wage bills and despite rising demand over 1600 companies left the sector. There is also uncertainty in the home care sector, for example it is not clear how much carers should legally be paid for a sleepover and a danger exists that the current rates do not cover the carers wages.

On a more positive note 78% of services are now rated as “GOOD” and many (82%) of those which underperformed improved on later inspections. Good organisations have strong leadership, embrace new technology and look at new ways of working.

Our owner (Mark Booker) comments “we welcome this report and recognise a great many issues in it. We are in a strange situation where the need for home care is rising rapidly yet a lack of capacity means people are taking expensive hospital beds for longer. In Lancashire public sector care is woefully low paid and this can only put pressure on quality and it is unsurprising so many companies are leaving the sector as the books have to balance. Hourly care rates need to rise so that investment can be made in staff training, quality assurance and carers’ wages and conditions improve. Care will always vary in cost throughout the country but we back the UK Home Care Association that a minimum hourly rate should be put it place. The CQC can inspect companies but standards will only be high if investment can take place.”

Following our recent inspection we he have now been featured in the “Chorley and Leyland Guardian” on the 26th September. We will also be featured in the local free paper “The Chorley & Leyland Citizen.” Mark Booker commented “the work put in by our office staff and carers has been brilliant and the CQC award is well deserved. Independent Living being featured positively in the local paper is a real pat on the back for the staff”.

There is also a “question and answer session” in the paper with Mark Booker about running a local care business. He talks openly and honestly about the challenges of running a community care service. Mark states “care and carers often receive a bad press, a carer stealing or being unpleasant to a person with memory loss always sells newspapers or makes good television documentaries but little is reported about how hard the majority of carers work, often going beyond the call of duty. From a management viewpoint myself and the ladies in the office work hard to keep it running, it is definitely not a “9-5″ job”.

We believe our company is the leading home care provider in the Chorley, Leyland, Croston, Standish & Wrightington areas. If you want free no obligation advice about care in you own home or are considering a career in care please call us on 0257 696 050 or call in at 225 Eaves Lane, Chorley, PR6 0AG.

Well established care company Independent Living, based on Eaves Lane in Chorley are celebrating after a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave the service a “GOOD” rating.

The regulator visited the premises in July and conducted a detailed inspection over 2 days. The inspection included scrutinising staff and customer files, and speaking to both staff and customers. They asked questions such as whether the service is safe, caring, responsive to customers’ needs and well led.

Owner, Mark Booker commentated “I am over the moon with the inspection result but we are a people business and the credit must go to our hardworking carers and office team who provide such a highly rated service. Policies, procedures and paperwork are onerous in care and I am grateful to the team for ensuring it remains up to date. I am proud of the whole team”.

The company’s customers also provided feedback, this included: “staff are caring and considerate”, “our life has completely changed since Independent Living have been involved” and “it’s a high class service, when you ring the office staff deal with everything”.

Mark concluded “most of our customers are unwell and many are over the age of 80 yet they have taken the time to provide positive comments about the service and company – I feel humbled. We will continue to serve the people of Leyland, Chorley, Standish and Wrightington areas in the coming years.”

Healthwatch inspectors visited 197 care homes across England between January 2016 to April 2017. Whilst good practice was found it was also noted that staff were “rushed off their feet”. Residents are being dressed in other peoples clothes, accommodation can be filthy and access to doctors and dentists problematic. There was found to be a culture of apathy in care homes and 1 in 4 homes inspected in 2014 were deemed “unsafe”. One lady wanted to do regular exercises but was hoisted out of bed just once in five weeks. One home in Tyneside had a budget of just £50 per month for activities. Common problems include residents having to wait to go to the toilet and cleanliness problems.

If someone has dementia the Alzheimers Society Chief Executive (Jeremy Hughes) stated that just 1 in 3 are staff in homes have had dementia training and people were left in soiled beds and out of date food.

Independent Living owner (Mark Booker) commented “we take clients in care homes out and about. When visiting care homes we hear stories of staff shortages in particular and as a result residents having to wait for meals, toileting, dressing etc. I hear of people paying anything of £700 per week upwards to live in a home and you would think they could pay competitive staff pay rates to ensure they have adequate carers, fund Alzheimers training, and pay for activities to stimulate residents.”

Mark went onto say “I know some people’s health deteriorates, as is the case with dementia, and relatives such as an elderly spouse or son/daughter cannot cope making a residential home the only realistic option. However, for older people with reasonable health living at home with support services is most people’s preference as you have familiar surroundings and more control at what time you eat, shower etc.”

Research by University College London and Liverpool University have found the rates of dementia are falling and this is down to medical advancements and people taking better care of their health. It means 35, ooo people may be spared dementia each year. Around 800,000 have dementia in Britain and had rates remained the same that would have increased to 1.9 million by 2040 whereas the actual figure is likely to be 1.2 million. James Pickett (Head of Research at the Alzheimers Society) believes make progress is due to better cardiovascular care.

Dementia costs Britain £23 billion a year and this figure will rise. This clearly has policy and planning implications for the NHS as people will live longer. Although rates of cases are declining due to an ageing population the total number of cases are rising.

Our owner (Mark Booker) commented “it is good news that dementia rates are falling. As a care company we are seeing more people with memory loss and it is tends to be something which cruelly gets worse over time putting enormous pressure on families. Whilst the results of the research are useful it is becoming clear that taking care of yourself physically by exercising, not smoking, a good diet, drinking in moderation helps to ward off a large number of diseases. I also believe that social care is woefully underfunded and many people have to rely on family as professional services are too stretched.”